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This little book has been written to meet the demand for informa- 
tion regarding the various points of Colonial interest in the neighborhood 
of Summerville, The facts it contains are drawn from historical sources, 
and are supplemented by well-known local traditions. Printed in Sum- 
merville, and Illustrated from views taken by a resident photographer, it 
may truly be called a ^^SOUVENIR OF SUMMERVILLE/' 

ANNE S. DEAS. 
Summerville, S. C, February, J 905. 



Copyright 1905. Anne Simons Deas. 



a>. I'. HKIU^iJ I'.KS I'KIN'J 
SUMMKRVII-LH;, S. C. 



^E3, 26 1905 
/ / 1) o<5y 



^^ 




•^ -^ **The Crumbling Church Tow^er/' ^ ^ 



5^E STORV OF DOF{Q^^ESSEI^. 



Perhaps the most interesting Colonial relics in the 
neighborhood of Summerville are the picturesque 
ruins on the banks of the Ashley — all that now remains 
of the once flourishing town of Dorchester. 

Two of these ruins stand on a steep bluff above the 
river, and are reached from Summerville by a pleasant 
drive of four or Ave miles over a typical road of the 
Carolina coast. Though always picturesque in a deso- 
lation which the pitying hand oi Mature is forever seek- 
ing to hide, yet probably the most attractive season at 
which to visit them is when the early Southern Spring 
has toucned the vines that clamber over them, and the 
tender green softens the outlines of their broken and 
ragged edges. 

It is impossible at this day to deflne the exact limits 
of the town. We know that there were two principal 
streets, one running north and south and terminating 
at the Fort, the other running east and west, and having 
St. George's Church at its eastern extremity. The site 
of the town is now an open held. Some years ago the 
streets could be traced by the little mounds of broken 
brick which marked where the chimneys had been, but 
even these have disappeared, and looking around upon 
tlie ploughed held encircled by the silent forest, it is 
hard to realize that a hundred and tifty years ago a 
thriving town of eighteen hundred inhabitants occupied 
this spot. Absolutely no trace is left of the busy popu- 
lation but the crumbling church-tower and a few tomb- 
stones. For the old Fort, mysterious as the Sphinx, 
keeps its own counsel. 

The town of Dorchester owed its existence to a 
small colony from Dorchester, Massachusetts, who came 



^ TH?] 8T()RY OF D0RCHE8TER. 

to Carolina in 1695, about twenty-five years after the 
first Eno-lish settlement under Gov. Sayle. At that 
time there was no churcli building in the Province out- 
side of Charlestown, though settlers were rapidly 
spreading themselves along the banks of the Cooper 
and the Ashley — at the confluence of which the city is 
situated. Some of the members of the Independent 
Church in Charlestown, prominent among whom was 
Mr. William Norman, having represented this state of 
alfairs to their brethren in New England, a colony 
came from Dorchester, under the leadership of Rev. 
Joseph Lord, to establish themselves in the wilderness, 
and bring the Gospel to that churchless region. 

The colony set sail from Boston about the middle 
of December, 1695, in two vessels, and arrived in 
Charlestown about the end of the month. Early in 
J 696 they selected this spot on the upper waters of the 
Ashley, and began their settlement. It is not known 
what special inducement inclined them to this location. 
They were probably influenced by the fact of its being 
situated on one of the water-ways from Charlestown — 
an important matter when there were few roads, and 
the forests swarmed with hostile Indians. If tlie Fort 
were already there — as seems probable — it doubtless 
also influenced their choice, as it afforded protection 
against the Indian tribes of the neighborhood. Here, 
then, they located, giving their town the name of their 
former home. One of their first cares was to build a 
place of worship ; but their first Communion Service 
was held under the boughs of a spreading oak. 

The little town grew and flourished. In less than 
twenty years it boasted 1800 inhabitants, 500 of whom 
were whites. Shops and taverns were there of course, 
and — to counteract the influence of the latter — a Free 
School and a Circulating Librarv. Semi-annual Fairs 



THE STORY OP D0RCHE8TER. » 

of four days' duration, established by Act of Assembly, 
were held in April and October; and Markets on Tues- 
days and Saturdays. By 1717 there were so many Epis- 
copalians that an Episcopal Church was needed, and 
the Parish of St. George's Dorchester was laid off by 
Act of Assembly from the adjoining Parish of St. 
Andrew's. 

In course of time, the colonists found that the availa- 
ble quantity of land around Dorchester was insufficient 
for their growing needs, while the town itself had 
proved to be very unhealthy. They therefore deter- 
mined to move away, and in 1752 or 1753 about half of 
them, with their pastor, the Rev. John Osgood, a native 
of Dorchester, migrated to Liberty County, Georgia. 
It is said that their descendants may still be found 
there. Those that remained are represented by several 
families in Summerville and the vicinity. The town 
struggled on for forty or fifty years longer, and then 
flickered out of existence. 

As the Fort is the oldest, so the mystery of its 
origin makes it the most interesting, of the relics of 
Dorchester. Grim and gray as a war-scarred veteran, 
it stands at its post on the bluff, with sally-port, wall, 
and bastion intact, save for one breach oh the eastern 
side. How long it has stood there, no man knows. 
Some say that it was built by the Spaniards before the 
English occupied the country ; but it is far more likely 
that it was constructed by the early English settlers as 
an outpost against the Indians. 

The Fort is built of "tabby," a mixture of oyster 
shells and lime, which is stronger than brick, and at a 
little distance resembles stone. It occupies a com- 
manding position on the edge of a steep bluff', bek)w 
which the narrow river curves like a horse-shoe. To 
the south, the river stretches away in a long, almost 



t) THE STOKV OF DORCHKSTKK. 

straii>.ht, reach, and the view from the walls at this 
point is lovely. The centre of the fort is occupied by a 
mass of broken bricks, once the magazine ; and a num- 
ber of tiles are in the south-east corner. On the side 
next the river, the walls appear to be of their original 
height — from twelve to fifteen feet; but on the land 
side they are much lower, owing probably to the ac- 
cumulation of earth washed down by the rains of two 
hundred years. 

During the Revolution, the Fort was held some- 
tim?s by the Americans and sometimes by the British. 
Gen. Marion was ordered to reinforce it in 1775; and 
history tells how, during the British occupation, the 
Wade Hampton of that day — grandfather of the late 
Gen. Wade Hampton — pursued a party of British troop- 
ers up to the very gates of the Fort. It is also related 
that once Vvhen the Americans had possession of it, and 
the gallant and impetuous Col. John Laurens was sta- 
tioned there, a red coat was observed moving slightly 
among the l)ushes just across the river. The alarm was 
immediately given, and a troop of dragoons and a party 
of infantry were ordered to cross the river and recon- 
noitre. The stream though narrow here, is deep, and 
the current strong, on which account Major O'Neal, 
who was aware of the fact, sent for a boat to assist in 
the crossing. Just then, Col. Laurens rode up. 

"What is the cause of this delay?" he demanded. 

Major O'Neal explained. 

"This is no time for delays I" cried Laurens. "All 
you who are brave men, follow me!" And putting 
spurs to his horse, he plunged into the river. 

''You shall see that there' are others as brave as 
you!" exclaimed O'Neal, and with all his troopers, 
dashed in after him. The result justified his hesitation ; 
for many — even Col. Laurens himself — were swept from 



THE STOKY OF DORCHESTKR. 




8 THE STORY OF D0RCHE8TKR . 

their horses, and some were nearly drowned. All 
reached the opposite shore with difficulty, and in great 
disorder. The infantry crossed w4th the aid of the boat 
and of some great doors torn from a neighboring ware- 
house. When at last the party scrambled up the hill, 
it was to lind that the only red coat there was one left 
hanging on the bushes by a British soldier who had 
been drummed out of his regiment. 

The Fort was garrisoned for about two weeks during 
the war of 1812. It has not been used since. 

The tower of St. George's Church next claims our 
attention, but rather on account of proximity than of 
age, as the ruins of the old Meeting House in the woods 
are of earlier date. 

The church was built of brick, and was begun in 
1719; but the building progressed with rather moderate 
rapidity. The Rector, however, was duly provided for 
by the purchase of 145 acres of land "for a Glebe," and 
a five-acre lot with a brick dwelling-house, ''for a 
Parsonage." The Rectors were generally sent over 
from England by the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel in Foreign Parts, and were very worthy men; 
but notwithstanding their labors, the life of the Parish 
seems to have been of a somewliat spasmodic kind — 
intervals of zeal alternating with longer intervals of 
carelessness and neglect. By 1784 it was found neces- 
sary to repair the church ; and the Assembly of the 
Province passed an Act authorizing the "Repairing, 
Enlarging and Pewing" of the same. A "Handsome 
Steeple was added in 1750; and soon after a "Ring of 
Bc^lls" was purchased by subscription, and was placed 
in it. 

The Rector's salary declined with the decline of 
the town ; and on the death of the Rev. Mr. Pearce in 
1782, the parish was left without a Rector, and the 



THE 8T0RY OF DOR0HE8TER. •' 

was still eighty-one feet high. The belfry was shaken 
down by the earthquake of 1886. The tower is crum- 
bling away, brick by brick, and its once beautiful arch- 
ed door and windows are little more than ragged holes 
in the dilapidated walls. Little bushes and bunches of 
grass wave from the top, and a riotous mass of vines 
hides the fallen fragments at its foot. It is the embodi- 
ment of lonliness and desolation. 

Though there must have been many persons buried 
around St. George's Church, there are but few tomb- 
stones visible, search as we may through the dense 
tangle of vines and bushes. None are of very early 
date; but as some of the oldest are partially sunk in 
the ground, the same fate, only in a greater degree, 
church was practically abandoned.- There was an 
attempt to revive the Parish in 1811, when the church 
was partially repaired, and w^ae re-dedicated ; but, the 
zeal was short-lived. In 1823 it w^as again -repaired by 
Mr. Henry A. Middleton, and a few services were held ;- 
but it was soon totally abandoned. It went rapidly to 
ruin— becoming literally ''a shelter for flocks," inas- 
much as a negro boy in charge of some sheep in the 
neighborhood was in the habit of driving them thither 
for protection against the w^eather, he himself dozing 
peacefully in the pulpit. 

Finally, the forsaken cliurch was burnt by some 
Vandals of the neighborhood, in order to get possession 
of the bricks, which they carried away and used to 
build chimneys. The very foundations were dug up to 
secure the bricks. Nothing is left but the square 
tower which formed the base of the "Handsome Stee- 
ple," and which the depredators found too strongly 
built to be pulled down. This tower was originally 
crowned by an octagonal belfry, which rose from it at 
the heidit^)f forty feet from the ground, and in 1858 



10 THE 8T0RY OF DORCHESTER. 

may possibly have overtaken the earliest ones. The 
most interesting- of these tombstones is a low, heavy, 
marble slab nearly a foot thick, marking; the resting 
place of James Postell, who died in 1773, ''much la- 
mented by all his friends and relations.^' This stone 
was used by the British to butcher meat on, and the 
marks of their axes may still be seen. 

Everything pertaining to the church has vanished, 
except the Communion plate, which passed into the 
possession of St. Paul's Church, Summerville. After 
the Civil War, the Vestry of St. Paul's sold most of it 
to St. Michael's Church, Charleston, reserving only 
one or two pieces. The Parish Records, including the 
Register of births, deaths, and marriages, are hopeless- 
ly lost, having disappeared before 1820. 

The "Ring of Bells" has a chequered history. The 
largest bell was taken down by an eccentric Master of the 
Dorchester Free School, and hung in the fork of a tree, 
so that he could ring up the boys at an early hour of the 
morning. Boys were boys, however, then as now, and 
objected equally to early rising. Either in misvh.ef or 
in spite, they cut the rope and let the bell fall, cracking 
it so badly as to render it useless. The two other bells 
were given to St. Paul's Church, Radclitfeboro'' (in 
Charleston) and were used there until the Civil War. 
They were then sent to Columbia, S. C and cast into 
cannon, which took a part in the first battle of Manas- 
sas. The cracked bell was presented to the church at 
Winnsboro, S. C, was recast, and was used there until 
Gen. Sherman's army passed through the town in 1865. 
The church was burnt at that time, and after the con- 
flagration it was found that even the metal of the bell 
had disappeared. For some time it was supposed that 
the bell had been carried off by the Union soldiers; but 
in 1889 someone digging near the foundation of the 



THE STORY OF DOR0HE8TER. 



11 



church found a quantity of fused bell-metal, which was 
supposed, with every probability, to be the lost bell. 

The Free School was established in 1724; and the 
Master was required to instruct the pupils, '4n the prin- 
ciples of Christianity, as well as in Greek and Latin." 
It was supported largely by a liberal donation from 
Mr. Bhike, which was invested for the benefit of the 
School, and was known as The Dorchester School Fund. 
A part of it still remains, and is applied to educational 
purposes in the town of Summerville. Mr. Blake of 
Newiiigtcm, many years afterwards, charged his estate 
with twenty-five pounds yearly, to provide for an An- 
nual Lecture, which was to be delivered on St. George's 
Day by an Episcopal minister. This, too, has long been 
a thing of the past. 

The books of the Library were divided between the 
colonists who moved to Georgia and those who remain- 
ed in Dorchester. For many years they w^ere kept and 
cared for at a neighboring plantation, and were distrib- 
uted thence. An old negro used to tell, some forty or 
fifty years ago, how when a boy, he was sent to bring 
and carry back books from the Library. Mounted on a 
mule, and carrying the books in a cowhide bag slung 
over his shoulder — the hair being turned inwards to 
prevent their getting scratched— he would traverse the 
miles that lay between his master's plantation and the 
Library. After the Revolution, they were divided 
among the subscribers. 

The Independent Church founded by the original 
colonists was built about a mile from the towm — why 
at such a distance, it is difficult even to conjecture. It 
is now known as "The Old White Church," and was 
originally a square brick edifice 'Svith a four-sided 
pointed roof," being built on the plan of the New^ Eng- 
land Meetiuir-houses. It is situated in the wood, about 



12 THE 8T-ORY OF DORCHESTER. 

M liiiiidred yards or so from the public road, and is ap- 
proached on that side by a narrow, unused track. 

The Old White Church, as well as St. George's, 
had its vicissitudes; but the congregation, notwith- 
ing the departure of so many of the members, held to- 
gether in the main; and the Presbyterian Church in 
Summerville is it direct successor. (Jccupied by the 
British in 1781, the building was burnt by them on their 
departure; but the walls having been left standing, the 
interior was restored. Services were held there from 
1794 to 1831, when a Presbyterian Church was built in 
the growing village of Summerville. After that, ser- 
vices were held in the Old White Church in winter, and 
in the Summerville church in summer — thus following 
the movements of the congregation, who migrated in 
the hot months to the healthy climate of the new pine- 
land village. 

Occasional services continued to be held in the 
Old White Church until 1866, after which the building 
was disused, and soon weait to decay. The great earth- 
quake of 1^86 shattered the walls beyond the possibility 
of repair; and now nothing but the fragment of a cor- 
ner remains. At least one relic of the interior of the 
church survives, however— the sounding-board of the 
old pulpit, which was brought to the Parsonage in 
Summerville for preservation. Divided in half, it 
quaintly surmounts two door-ways in one of the rooms, 
and is a striking memento of by-gone days. 

Many graves surround this church ; and interments 
are still occasionally made there by some of the old 
families of Summerville. 

There are few more impressive scenes than this 
lonely graveyard in the woods, lying around the bit of 
broken wall. No fence surrounds it, no tangled growth 
of vines runs riot over it; but many trees spread their 



"my DORCHESTER PLANTATION." IS 

branches overhead, and a thick carpet of fallen leaves 
and brown pine-needles lies under foot. Silence reigns ; 
and above the moss-hung boughs arches the blue sky. 
Never will the distant chimes float again over the forest, 
nor "the call to prayer" sound from these 

"Fanes wliere crumbling arch and column 
Attest the feebleness of mortal liand." 
We can but stand among them, and f 

"Awed by the silence, reverently ponder ^ 
The wavs of God." 



(i) 






"/nV DORQIiESSEI^ pe/^Ks/^5ioK." 



In driving along the lonely country roads which 
* . spread like a net-work over a radius of twenty-tive 
miles around Charleston, it is difficult to realize how 
thickly settled these parishes once were. Thickly set- 
tled, that is, for this part of the world; for the ground- 
work of tlie country, so to speak, has always been the 
boundless pine forest. But back from these inland 
roads, and along courses of the rivers and larger creeks, 
our Colonial ancestors built numbers of stately man- 
sions, dominating broad spaces of cultivated fields. 
Many of these were still standing fifty years ago, but 
even then, from the decay of fortunes and the cht^nge 
of crops, the hand of ruin had begun to close upon them. 
It is strange how complete the rviin has been, and 
how few traces are left to desigmt+:«-these spots. Occa- 
sionally, from some deserted-looking road, we catch 
sight of what was once an avenue of noble'^ees leading 
to some liandsome residence, but which now leads prac- 



''my DORCHESTER PLANTATION." 




''MY DORCHESTER PLANTATION." 1 '3 

tically nowhere; perhaps to a few patches of tangled 
vegetation hiding some scattered bricks, or, drearier 
still, to some great blank field of cotton or of corn. 
Sometimes, the only hint of past occupancy is a little 
clump of trees in a wide fiekl, shielding a cluster of for- 
gotten graves. 

Some of tliese residences sto;)d in the midst of spa- 
cious grounds laid out at great expense. There were 
wide lavv:is and extensive shrubberies, flowering trees, 
shady walks, artificial mounds, an I well-stooked fish 
ponds, the placid water adding not a little to the beau- 
ty of the landscape. 

One of these lay but a few miles from Summerville, 
between it an<l the Ashley River. Few people, per- 
iiaps, except those near it, know how to find it now, 
oi- wo aid recognize it if they did. Yet sixty years ago, 
ail imposing, many-vvindowed brick mansion, standing 
in tlie midst of extensive grounds shut in by fine oaks, 
f.ced the approach from the road. It is but little that 
w^e kncnv of this ^'Dorchester Plantation," but that lit- 
tle is invested with a certain pathos. 

''ITEM, I give, devise, and bequeath unto my be- 
loved nephew the Hon. Joseph Blake, Esq., my Dor- 
chester plantation given me by my mother, called 
Mount Boone, with all the buildings and improvements 
thereon, unto him and his heirs and assignees for- 
ever." 

P'orever! There is something pathetic in the very 
words. 

The land was originally owned by the Blake fam- 
ily, descendants of Admiral Blake, wdio after brilliant 
services in the Mediterranean, died as his ship was en- 
tering Plymouth sound. Cromwell deemed him w^orthy 
of interment in Westminster Abbey; but at the Res- 
toration his remains were "pitifully ie.nvj,ev^. ^x.o 



16 ''MY DORCHESTER PLANTATION." 

family were justly incensed at this insult to his mem- 
ory, and, turninii,' their backs upon England, sought a 
home in the forests of Carolina. 

Anne Blake, daughter of Col. Joseph Blake, mar- 
ried Mr. Joseph Boone, one of the family of Boones 
from whom Bishop Boone of China was descended. The 
young couple seem to have made their home on 
this gift of land, wdiich they called Mount Boone. Here 
they spent their married life; and here, in 1734, Mr. 
Boone was buried in the family cemetery. It is proba- 
ble that after her husband's death, Mrs Boone resided 
in the city, as her will is dated thence, and she styles 
herself "of Charleston." It is easy to read between 
the lines of the simj^le wording, her love for and pride 
in this "Dorchester Plantation." It was the gift of 
her mother, the home of her married life, a spot where 
every tree and shrul) m the elaborate grounds had some 
dear or pleasant association connected with it, the last 
resting-place of her husband and of any children she 
may have had, and, by special desire in the will, the 
place of her own interment. 

It is well for us when we cannot see the disposition 
made of our "precious things" that have passed beyond 
our keeping. Even after the lapse of a hundred and 
fifty years, one is conscious of a distinct feeling of pain 
and disappointment on learning that in the hands of a 
new owner, the beloved "Mount Boone" speedily be- 
came "Newington." It is a satisfaction, however, to 
know that the plantation was kept up, and that its gar- 
dens and grounds were probably enlarged and improved. 

After many years it passed into the possession of 
Mr. Henry A. Middleton. In 1815 the house was burnt 
to the ground, having caught fire from a spark from one 
of the chimneys. Some years ago, the bricks were 
sold. 



INGLE SIDE. IT 

What now remains? So little, that a casual ob- 
server would probably pass it by. Some who penetrated 
there two or three years ago told that a tangled under- 
growth hid the site of the house, and suggested, rather 
than marked, where the grounds had been. 

Forever ! 



1 



^ INGLESIDE. ^ 



jT'ravellers by train from Summerville to Charles- 
^ ton may, if they look persistently out of the left- 
hand windows after passing the factory at Woodstock 
and the marl-works a little further on, catch a glimpse 
of the red-roofed Colonial house at Ingleside. 

The house is only visible for a few moments, as the 
train flashes past the old rice fields, now overgrown 
with willows and wild myrtles. From this point, a 
path leads straight up to the house; and it is said that 
when the right of way was ceded to the railroad, the 
privilege of stopping the trains here, for his own per- 
sonal convenience, was reserved by the owner of the 
plantation. The house cannot be seen from the marl- 
works, but the walk from there is not a long one. 

Ingleside house is situated on the crest of a gentle 
elevation, and is a good specimen of a Colonial country 
house, though it does not pretend to bean imposing 
mansion. It is a square, hip-roofed, brick dwelling, 
having two stories and an attic, aiid^is su|fleiently high 
from the ground to admit of rooms beneath. These, 
however, are not exactly a basement, as the floor is 
some steps below the level of the ground. The walls 



18 



INGLESTDE. 




I N G L E S I D E . 19 

were badly cracked by the earthquake of 1886, and the 
roof was left in terrible condition by a g;ale, so that the 
general state of dilapidation, a few years ago, may 
more easily be imagined than described. It has been 
repaired, however, since that time. 

Six years ago, the interior of the dwelling testified 
to its Colonial origin even more eloquently than the ex- 
terior. The front door opened from the porch directly 
into a large room, and from this a door opened into the 
other front roof, which was a little smaller. The back 
»'ooms were separated from each other by a narrow hall, 
in which was the staircase with its heavy balusters. 
Under the stairway was a flight of steps leading down 
to the basement. There were four rooms on a floor, and 
the rooms on the first floor were connected in pairs by 
the "thoroughfare closets" so common in old houses. 
The rooms were wainscoted half way up, and had deep, 
low window-seats; the window^ sashes were broad and 
heavy, and the shutters were of panelled w^ood. The 
back door was unusually thick and heavy. 

The view from the front windows is over a level 
field stretching away off to the woods; one can easily 
imagine it to have be?n a spacious lawn. Near the 
end of the field is a clump of trees, beneath which is 
the family cemetery. 

Ingleside w^as for many years the property of the 
Parker family. Its original name was Hayes, or The 
Hayes, and it w^as not until fifty or sixty years ago, 
when the place passed into other hands, that the name 
was changed to Ingleside. 

At the time of the Revolution, the plantation was 
owned by Mr. John Parker, whose wdfe was a Miss 
Middleton. While Charleston was in the hands of the 
British, the country for many miles around was infest- 
ed by marauding parties, sometimes of British vsoldiers 



2(^ INGL E S IDE. 

sent out to forage, sometimes of lawless characters who 
made use of the British name to protect them in their 
audacious robberies. It happened one day when Mrs. 
Parker w^as sitting near a window, sewing, perhaps in 
one of those same recessed window-seats, that a small 
party of these marauders came up and tired at her. 
The ball missed Mrs. Parker, but struck the wall, where 
the hole it made could be seen thirty years ago. Mr. 
Parker, who chanced to be at home, snatched up his 
gun and rushed out. The men fled, but he pursued 
them and killed one; he was buried where he fell, and 
his grave was to be seen by the road-side for many 
years. It was a dangerous position in which Mr. Par- 
ker had placed himself, but he did not shirk the conse- 
quences. He wrote to the British Commander at Char- 
leston, imforming him of the affair and of his having 
shot the off'ender, and received the brief, but satisfac- 
tory, reply, '^I am, sir, very glad of it." 

A gentle slope leads from the back of the house to 
the "lake" where a double row of towering cypresses 
makes a romantic walk on the very edge of the water. 
Fine old magnolias shade the western part of the lawn. 
The lake, used as a reservoir for irrigating the rice 
fields, is of some extent, but its beauty is marred by 
the numerous young willows and cypresses which have 
taken possession of the shallow^ spots. There is a pretty 
island in it, and the view must have been lovely when 
unobstructed. 

Following the causeway along the banks of the lake, 
and crossing a field, we come to a veritable giant among 
live-oaks, known as "Marion's Oak." What its girth 
may have been, it is impossible to say, for the huge 
trunk has split into three parts. The great curved 
boughs rest upon the ground, and persons can easily 
pass under them. Bewilderin": masses of limbs and 



T X (i L E 8 T D E . 



21 




^ MARION'S OAK. -^ 

branches interweave themselves far above; and from 
one of the sections a vigorous growth of new limbs lias 
shot upwards, each limb as large as a fair-sized tree. 
It was under this oak that Gen. Marion is said to have 
regaled the British officer on potatoes; but as other oaks 
in other localities claim, or have claimed, this honor, 
we cannot vouch for the fact. Without doubt, how- 
ever, "Marion's men" must often have rested beneath 
its boughs. 

This story of Marion's potatoes is so generally 
known that an apology seems necessary for inserting it ; 
but as it may not be known to all, we venture to repeat 
it. 

It is related that a young British officer was once 
desi)atched to Gen. Marion on a mission of some im- 



22 



8T. JAMES, GOOSE CREEK. 



portaiice, and was conducted to the General's camp 
''under the iireenwood tree." The lousiness finished, 
the General invited the officer to remain and dine, an 
invitation wliich he courteously accepted. The other 
American officers now asseuilded, and tlie General's 
nei>;ro servant phiced on the rough board table several 
large pieces of pine bark, each heaped with sweet pota- 
toes cooked in a dili'erent way. Marion asked his guest 
if he would be lielped to boiled, roasted, or fried; and 
amid general gaity the meal went on. At the close of it, 
the young Englishman incpiired if this Avas their usual 
fare. "Yes," replied Marion, "and we are glad to get 
it." The guest could not repress his admiration, and 
on his retnrn told his commanding officer that he saw it 
was useless to attempt to conquer men Avho could live 
so cheerfully and fii>ht so well on such meagre fare. 

1 

ST. JAMES, GOOSE CREEK. 



The extremely interesting, old church of St. James, 
Goose Creek Parish, is about twelve miles from 
Summerville, and sixteen from Charleston. It was 
built in 1714, and is one of the oldest church l)uildings 
now standing in South Carolina. 

The following is a description of it from the graphic 
pen of the one who has the best right to tell of it. "St. 
James' Church stands now (1896) almost as it did when 
first built in 1714. It is of brick, fifty feet long, by 
forty wide, rough-cast, and with a slate roof. There 
are thirteen arched windows, and two side doors beside 
the main entrance. 

The keystone of each window is ornamented with a 



28 

clieriib's head and winii,siii stucco, and the niain entrance 
with tive hearts of the same material. The robing 
room is very small, and is under the stairs leading to 
the gallery and near the entrance. There are twenty- 
four pews of the old square box pattern. The aisles are 
paved with flagstones, and a gallery is over the entrance. 
The tall pulpit is reached by a winding stair, and a 
huge sounding-board is suspended above, this, together 
with the reading desk, and Communion table, all stand 
within the chancel rail. Back of the chancel, four Cor- 
inthian pilasters support the Royal Arms of Great Brit- 
ain, made of stucco and brilliantly colored ; it is said 
that this saved the Church from destruction by the 
British, during the Revolution. The arms are those of 
the time of Queen Anne. The walls of the chancel are 
painted to resemble gre^n marble, and red curtains are 
rei>resented on the upper part. 

Just below the Royal Arms an open book is sup- 
ported by two blue-eyed, pink-cheeked cherubs. On 
each side of the chancel are the marl)le tablets bearing 
the Decalogue, Apostles' Creed and Lord's Prayer, pre- 
sented by William Middleton in 1758. Two quaint 
memorials, nuide of stucco and painted in bright colors, 
are affixed to the walls. On one are emblazoned the 
arms of the Gibbes family, of South Carolina, and it 
bears this inscription : 

Underneath this lyes the late Col. John Gibbes, 
Who deceased on the Tth August, 1711, 
Age 40. 
The other is inscriV)ed : 

Near this place 

Lyes the body of Jane Gibbes, 

Late wife of Mr. Benjamin Gibbes, 

Who departed this life ye 19th of 

August, 1717, 

Aiie 85 vears. 



24 



ST. JAMES, GOOSE CREEK. 




•J* Interior of St. James, Goose Creek, J 7 14. ^ 

Two marble slabs are built into the walls, one to 
the memory of Mr. Peter Taylor (a generous benefac- 
tor of the Parish), and his wife Amarentia, and the 
other to Hon. Ralph Izard. 

In front of the gallery hangs a hatchment, bearing 
the arms of Ralph Izard, and said to be one of the only 
two in America. According to the old English custom, 
this was borne in front of the coffin at the head of a 
family, and after the funeral, hung upon the walls of 



2o 



the church. 

Around the church is a cemetery wherein lie many 
of the old time parisliioners, Coachman, Smith, Mazyck, 
Withers, Glover, are some of the family names to be 
seen." 

The Parish of St. James, Goose Creek, antedates 
the present Churcli, having been formally laid otf by 
Act of the Assembly in November, 1700. A clergyman, 
however, had been engaged by some members of the 
congregation to minister there as early as 1700; but he 
went back to England in 1703. His place was supplied 
by the Rev. Samuel Thomas, who had been sent out the 
year before by the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel. He describes his cure in 1704 as being "one of 
the most populous of our country parishes." A small 
church had already been built, by "some few of the 
chief inhabitants," but on one occasion at least, "the 
congregation was so numerous that the Church could 
not contain them; niany stood without the door." 
There were then about thirty communicants. 

Mr. Thomas died in 1705, and the next year the 
Society sent out the Rev. Francis LeJau, "a native of 
Angers, France, and a Canon in St. Paul's Cathedral, 
London." He came over in October, 1706, just before 
the formal organization of the Parish, and found his 
parishioners "busy collect:ng materials for a Church 
and Parsonage." Capt. Benjamin Scheidvingh gave 
100 acres of land, one for a church, and the rest for a 
Glebe. Later on, other donations were made, sixteen 
acres by Benjamin Godin, for a Churchyard, and four 
towards the Parsonage, l)y Arthur Middleton. A wood- 
en building was promi)tly erected, and was used until 
1711, l)y which time it had become too small for the con- 
gregation. T\\^ present brick church was then built, 
and a brick Parsonage was erected in the neighborhood. 



26 ST. JAMES, GOOSE CREEK. 

There being then no Bishop in the Province, tlie 
Church conkl not l>e consecrated; but in 1719 the Ves- 
tr}^ passed a resolution formally setting it apart for 
Christian worship. At the same time they resolved 
"That the two h)wer Pews of the middle two Rows of 
Pews be and are for the use of the Churchwardens and 
the Vestrymen of this Parish and their successors, the 
same forever." 

They also made deeds of gift to Arthur Middleton, 
Benjamin Scheukingh, Benjamin Godin, and several 
others who had also given liberally to the Church, of 
"one enclosed Pew or Seat, containing about five feet, 
six inches by seven feet of ground." to them and their 
heirs forever," The rest of the pews were then sold, ac- 
cording to custom. 

A Free School was also established, a suitable in- 
structor being sent from England in 1710, but it was 
closed in 17J5 on account of the Indian war. It was 
revived later, however. The Rev. Mr. Ludlam, who 
died in 1728, after officiating in the Parish for several 
years, left all his estate, real and personal, amounting 
to £2,000 currency, towards building and endowing a 
School. This sum not beinji; sufficient for the purpose, 
an additional amount was raised among the parishion- 
ers; and in 175(3 a brick school house was l)uilt al)out 
half a mile from the church. The foundations may still 
be traced under a thick grovvth of trees and bushes. 
The remnant of this School Fund is still applied to the 
education of some poor child belonging to the Parish. 

"In 1844" we are told ''{he Church had fallen into 
a deplorable state of ruin and the Vestry resolved to 
have the same restored." At this time ''the walls were 
cracked, and had to be bound together with iron bands; 
the roof had spread, and it was necessary to run iron 
rods through the buildiiiii' to draw the walls back into 



ST. JAME8, GOOfSE CREEK 



^ 




-^ ST. JAM?]S, GOOSE CREEK. 

position. The t-hurch was replastered inside, and the 
rouiih-castinn- on the outside repaired. The roof (then 
of shingles) was phiced in order. * * * * The 
liooriiiii,- was reh.id, and tlie pews had to be cut down, 
the h)\ver parts having rotted away. Large trees and 
underl)rush had grown up ch)se to the building,'' when 
cut away ''the wood anuunte 1 to thirty cords.'' 

When the repairs weri completed, in 1815, the 
church was consecrated by Bishop Gadsden. 

The Church was very seriously damaged by the 
earthquake of J886; one gable fell out entirely, and the 
other partially; the walls were cracked; and the Royal 
Arms and some of the njemorial tablets were broken. 
The Vestry again came to the rescue, and were careful 
to restore everything as it was before, as far as possible. 
"The figure of the pelican feeding her young, symbolic (jf 
the Mother Church of England, which stoodover the west 
door," was, however, so badly broken as to be l)eyond 
repair. At this time the window-shutters and doors 
were sheathed with iron, leaving no woodwork exposed, 
and the roof was covered with slate, so as to render 
the building proof against tlie forest tires which so 
frequently sweep throug'i the country. 

"There are several traditions which have been hinided 
down connected with the old church, which, whether 
authentic or not, add an interest to its history. It was 
here that the marriage of Mad Archy Campbell took 
place, an account of which is to b^ found in ''Johnson's 
Traditions." * * * Campljell was an officer in the 
British army, noted for his eccentric and daring char- 
acter. Living in St. James's Parish was a young lady. 
Miss Paulimi Phelp, noted for her beauty, but a great 
coquette. She amused herself alike with the British or 
American officers. Campbell met and fell in love with 
her; she encouraged him, Init never seriouslv. He 



29 

induced her one day to go horseback riding, and ad- 
dressed her in such ardent and insistent terms, that 
she was intimidated into accepting him. They rode up 
to the Church, and, meeting the Minister, Campbell 
demanded that he should marry them at once. He 
replied: "I will with the consent of the young lady 
and her mother;" Whereupon Campbell drevv^ his 
pistol, and presenting it to his head, gave him the 
choice of marrying him or losing his life. It is need- 
less to say he chose the first." The marriage, however, 
turned out a very happy one. 

During the Kevolution, when Charleston was occu- 
pied by the British, the Parish was within the lines, 
and on one occasion the Minister proceeded to use the 
prayer in the Litany for the King of England. There 
was no response for a time, for tiie parish! jners were 
almost entirely American in their sympathies; at length 
the silence was broken by a deep voice from the Izard 
pew, ^'Good Lord, deliver us." It is said that Mr. 
Izard narrowly escaped imprisonment for treason. 

Anotlier story of much the same kind is tfiat one 
gentleman told the Minister if he used the prayer for 
the King lie would throw his Prayer Book at his head. 
The Minister used the prayer the next Sunday, and the 
worthy gentleman carried out his threat. After this, 
the Minister refused to hold services." 



Note — We acknowledge our indebtedness 
for the information contained in this sketch, to 
the author of the pamphlet called "St. James, 
G()08E Creek." 



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LBJL '05 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



